Reusable Bags #bebebetter52

Did you know?

Plastic is the largest contributor to ocean litter.

It costs significantly more to recycle plastic bags than their value, somost recycling centers don’t even take them.

That’s why many cities around the world have imposed a tax on disposable shopping bags. For example, City of Los Angeles shoppers can either bring their own bags or pay 10 cents for a biodegradable or paper bag.

This week when you are shopping, make sure to bring your reusable grocery bags. Let’s grab our reusable bags and Be Better to our environment!

The average American goes through six disposable shopping bags a week. At first blush, that number sounds miniscule. But multiply that by our current U.S. population and the 52 weeks in a year, and the number starts to look scary.

According to ReuseThisBag.com, lightweight plastic bags often end up flying away from landfills, only to land in trees and oceans. Approximately 1 million birds and 100,000 turtles and other sea creatures die each year after ingesting plastic bags, which block their digestive tracks.

Plastic bags are made from nonrenewable resources like petroleum and natural gas. It takes about 12 million barrels of oil to produce the amount of plastic bags the U.S. uses every year. Let that number sink in.

You may be telling yourself that using paper bags is better. Unfortunately, it’s not. Millions of trees are cut down every year in America alone to meet the demand for paper shopping bags. Also, paper bags are constructed in a chemical solution at high temperatures, resulting in the release of toxins into the atmosphere.

Reusable grocery bags are even cuter than paper or plastic ones. Lucky for us, they come in all kinds of colors and sizes, with stylish prints and funky sayings. Taking a different bag to the supermarket every time you go can make it less routine and more fun.

It isn’t too late to try to save the Earth. Some grocery stores even discount customers who bring in reusable bags. That’s another incentive. Do your part and stop using plastic and paper bags.